In the Belly of the Beast
by YoungJules
Summary: The events leading up to Lemonhope's rescue of the Lemongrab Earldom. As told through the perspective of Lemongrab 2. First fanfic. All feedback is appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

**~Prologue~**

_Diary of Lemongrab II, Entry 1_

_~Nearly a fortnight has passed since my once dear brother savagely devoured my lower half, along with a portion of my head. The incident had occurred over a relatively small disagreement. Very trivial, now that I pause to give it thought. Strange, the way a lemon can exude such rage over such simple things, like how to play with a doll properly. Of course, I have always understood my brother's fury… the only one to truly understand him, I suppose, for that is what I was made to do._

_But now, it is how deeply I understand my brother that makes me fear him so much. His rage, it goes so much deeper than mine...~_

"SUBJECTS! Help me out of my chair!" commanded the Earl of Lemongrab. He had been putting on quite a bit of weight, most of it due to swallowing the legs of his twin. Frantically, a team of lemons hurried to their leader and lifted the earl from his throne. Swatting them away with a grunt, he dusted himself off and began his daily walk (some would call it a waddle) through the palace halls. His brother, Lemongrab 2, hovered a few feet behind him.

"So, my brother, I see that your new hovering device is working quite well. I hope you find it acceptable?" the fat lemon asked.

"Y-yes. Acceptable."

"Good. I want to see you using it tomorrow night when Mother Princess comes to visit us. She will be very pleased to see how quickly our technology has advanced in the Earldom."

The half-eaten lemon is barely listening, something else is on his mind.

"Brother… I do hope you will forgive my asking…" Lemongrab 2 nervously begins. "But… have you noticed that our children have been behaving… different?"

"Different?" Lemongrab 1 asked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, brother, they seem to be quite intimidated. Especially around yo- err, around _us_. I fear that our recent industrialization projects may have taken a toll on their spirits."

"Nonsense, brother. the Earldom is finally a sophisticated society. Our people should rejoice in that fact. Those who are malcontent are only holding us back, dear brother! They deserve nothing better than the DUNGEON!"

Lemongrab 2 realized suddenly that he had touched a nerve with his brother, and instantly felt a hot wave of dread rush down his spine. However, against his better judgement, he ventures further.

"B-brother, is the dungeon really the answer to everything? Don't you think that your methods of discipline are rather… harsh?"

The earl's eyes widened with anger as he turns to face his floating twin. "Harsh?! HARSH?! I'll tell you what's harsh, my brother! Harsh is being rejected by the person who gave you life, simply because she does not _understand_, being forced to spend all your days in complete solitude! Yes, I was very alone before your creation brother, and you have never known that loneliness! You will never understand!"

"But I do understand!" protested Lemongrab 2.

"No! You may be _like_ me, brother, but you are not me. I have been shaped by years of pain and solitude. You have known only love and acceptance since your creation. _My_ love and acceptance!"

Lemongrab 2 hung his head. His brother was right. The floating lemon was suddenly filled with shame.

"Maybe, dear brother…" Lemongrab 1 continued, narrowing his gaze at his hovering sibling, "That is why you are soft. Maybe, that is why _**I**_ am the true Earl of Lemongrab."

The fat lemon turned away from his companion once again, and resumed his walk. "Now that we have an understanding, make sure the subjects are making the palace look good for Mother Princess's visit. It is an evening that none of us will soon forget!

~**Aaaand, there we go. The next chapter will be out soon. Please review, all feedback is appreciated. Muchas gracias.~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2: Lemons United**

_Diary of Lemongrab II_

_Belly of the Beast_

_Day 1_

_ The eve of Mother Princess's visit went… unexpectedly. It is unclear to me yet what will come of tonight's events, but I can only hope that good will ultimately prevail. _

_ I felt a great burst of courage tonight, and I acted on it. My actions, I'm afraid, had a great price. I have now been entirely consumed by my brother, and I write this from the depths of his massive paunch. It is dark in here, and I can barely see this paper before my eyes. I feel quite cramped and uncomfortable, but not even these damp stomach walls can dampen my spirit, which now burns for the freedom of my children, for I believe with all of my lemony heart that our champion Lemonhope will some day return for us. For now, I can do nothing but wait, and hope that I am right._

_ However, at the moment, I fear for my subjects. They are for the time at the mercy of the Earl, with much to answer for…_

"UNACCEPTABLE! UNACCEPTABLE!" The Earl of Lemongrab screamed, as his three former prisoners fade into the distance away from the Earldom. The lemon people cheered, dancing in the streets and shouting with joy in their newfound hope. However, all grew silent at their master's furious gaze. Feelings of joy quickly turned into feelings of terror as they all wondered what might happen next.

"You insignificant, disobedient, un-ACCEPTABLE lemons!" The Earl begins, his subjects cowering. "How dare you defy me! I am the law!"

All was silent for a moment. Then, one of the more courageous lemons speaks up.

"We aren't afraid of you. We are lemons united! Lemon need not squeeze lemon in order to survive!" he turns to the crowd. "Remember Lemonhope! Remember Lemongrab Two!"

The whole crowd bursts into a chant. "Remember Lemonhope! Remember Two! Remember Lemonhope! Remember Two!"

"ENOUGH!" Lemongrab shouts. "This rebellion will not staaaand! Lemonguards, seize them all!"

A legion of tall, armored lemons swarms out from the palace and onto the crowd, subduing the insurgency before it could ever take place. Shock collars were promptly forced around the necks of the rebellious lemon people as they were forcefully escorted back to their homes.

"There will be some changes around here!" The Earl announced from his balcony. "Curfew will be set for sundown! Labor will increase ten-fold! All lemons will be watched over at all times by Lemonguards! If any lemon disobeys or tries to escape, they will be sentenced to the DUNGEON! OR EATEN!"

Exhausted, Lemongrab decided to retire for the night. He will As he lay in bed, the words of his brother echoed in his head.

"_Lemon need not squeeze lemon to survive…"_

What if he was right?

"Hmph. Soft thinking…" He mumbled assuringly to himself as he drifted off into sleep.

His stomach growls.


	3. Chapter 3

_**~~Thanks for the positive reviews so far fellas. I'm glad y'all enjoy it so far. Please keep the reviews flowing, and if you have some constructive criticism please throw it at me, I'm happy to learn from ya. Also, I know I said in the summary that this would all be from Lemongrab 2's POV, but I feel like that's really restricting the expansion of the story. So I'll be adding other POVs to keep the plot rolling the way I have it down in my head. If ya gots a problem with it then I'll sock ya in tha kissah. Enjoy the story!~~**_

**Part 3: Stay Young, Go Dancing**

_Diary of Lemongrab II_

_Belly of the Beast_

_Day 15_

_This is the second day of my second week of imprisonment. I am still confined to the darkness of my brother's stomach. It is a wonder that I have not been digested, yet I am not complaining. I have attempted escape on more than one occasion, but have been thwarted with each try. I am unsure of what my next move will be… but I will think of something. My brother has lost what few scraps of sanity he had left, and my poor lemon children have become the victims of his madness. The dungeons are over-crowded with lemons guilty of such violations as blowing their nose without permission. It is at this point I am not entirely certain that Glob has not forsaken us. The lemons seem to have lost the hope they had been given the night of Lemonhope's escape. Most believe that I am dead._

_I, however, have not lost hope. At this moment, Mother Princess is keeping Lemonhope safe in her kingdom, teaching him and making him strong. Some day, perhaps, my dear lemons will be free. As for myself, I do not know._

Lemongrab 2 woke up in the middle of the night. Well, what he assumed to be night, as he could feel the vibrations of his brother's deep snoring against the stomach walls. It was hard to tell, as it was always dark in his little organic prison. He sighed deeply, and shifted around a bit to get comfortable. Needless to say, comfort was relative these days. Finally, he felt himself drifting back to sleep, which had been difficult as of late. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep… and he began to dream…

L-2 dreamed that he was walking through a dark grey tunnel. Wait… walking? Yes, he looked down and there were indeed legs underneath him. Elated by this, he began to skip jovially through the tunnel, giggling like a school-lemon. His burst of euphoria fizzled quickly when he heard a quiet thud from behind him. He froze in place. Another thud followed. Another. Another. A little louder each time. Slowly, he turned to face what terror might be waiting for him behind his back.

"Lemonhope!" Lemongrab cried, happy to see the young boy staring up at him innocently. Still, something seemed… off.

"L-Lemonhope?" He repeated.

Suddenly, the child's amiable expression turned into one of bitter hatred. The child mumbled something under his breath.

"W-What? What did you say?" Lemongrab demanded.

"unaccaptable…" the child hissed, barely above a whisper.

Then, Lemonhope's eyes grew wide with anger. His body began to expand, the hair fell from his head, and he began to screech in an unholy growling voice.

"UNACCEPTABLE! UNNNACCEPTABBBLEEE!" All at once the image of Lemonhope was replaced by a monstrous visage of the Earl of Lemongrab.

Lemongrab 2, filled with horror and disgust, stumbled back and ran the opposite direction through the tunnel. He could hear the demonic beast of his brother stomping after him, dreadfully close behind. Soon, L-2 came face to face with a red door at the end of the colorless tunnel. He pounded on the door.

No answer.

"Unacceptable! UNACCEPTABLE!" The Dream-Earl's voice drew rapidly nearer.

Lemongrab, in a frenzy of fear, pounded on the door with all his might. Finally, he watched in desperate anticipation as the doorknob began to turn. But then, his brother's meaty hand snatched the back of his shirt and ripped him away from the door

Lemonhope awoke in a cold sweat, screaming. He'd again had the recurring dream about the red door. However, it was somehow… different this time, as if there was something very urgent on the other side. The knocking was more frantic than usual, which was partial cause for his distress. Still breathing heavily, he wiped the sweat from his brow with his pajama sleeve. It wass still night, he noticed, looking out his window. He could see that there were no candy people about, save for the occasional banana guard on patrol. _No use trying to go back to sleep now, _he thought to himself. He sat upright, grabbed his blanket, and made his way to the bathroom for a glass of water.

"That dream," Lemonhope thought aloud. "Could it have some sort of meaning?"

Still shaken from his nightmare, Lemonhope quietly tiptoes across the hall and cracks open the door of Princess Bubblegum's room. The sliver of light from the hallway makes the Princess stir. Groggily, she turns on the lamp on her nightstand and puts on her glasses.

"Lemonhope? What are you doing out of bed? It's three in the morning dude."

Lemonhope shifted his stance awkwardly in the doorway.

"I- I know Princess… but…"

"But what?" She asked, a little more awake now due to concern.

Lemonhope looked down at his feet, and clutched his blanket tighter. "I had that dream again, Princess. Can I… can I sleep in here with you again?"

The princess sighed. "I'm sorry buddy, but don't you think you'd feel better if you laid back down in your own bed?"

"No. I wanna stay in your bed."

Bubblegum let out another irritated sigh, then looked back at the child and gave a smile in defeat. "Fine, get in here dude. But this is the last time, okay?"

Lemonhope nodded silently and eagerly hopped under the sheets next to the princess. He nuzzled his head into her shoulder.

"Princess, I'm afraid," Lemonhope confided.

"Don't worry Lemonhope, it was just a bad dream."

"No, I mean- I'm afraid. Of what I have to do."

This made the princess pause in thought for a moment, unsure of what to say.

"I'm not big and brave like Finn, Princess," Lemonhope continued. "I'm not as old either. I'm too young."

"I know, buddy, I know," the princess replied, running her fingers through the little boy's hair. "You are young. But you're braver than you think. And youth isn't such a bad thing. It means you have more faith."

"P-Princess?" the boy responded.

"Yes Lemonhope?"

"Will you sing me that song you always do? It helps me sleep."

The princess laughed. "Yeah. Sure thing dude."

"_Life, is sweet, In the belly of the beast_

_In the belly of the beast_

_And with her song, in your heart_

_It can never bring you down_

_It can never bring you down_

_Lost, in a maze, Of a thousand rainy days_

_Of a thousand rainy days_

_But when I heard her voice_

_Oh it led me to the end_

_Yes it led me to the end_

'_Cause when she sings_

_I hear a symphony_

_And I'm swallowed in sound_

_As it echoes through me _

_I'm renewed, Oh how I feel alive!_

_Through Autumn's advancing _

_We'll Stay Young, Go Dancing…"_

**~~~So, I'm really proud of this chapter, and I hope it's as much fun to read as it was to write. The song above is "Stay Young, Go Dancing" by Death Cab for Cutie. I own nothing here, yada-yada-blah. Anyways, I'm updating these as quickly as I can, but my schedule is about to me mildly jacked up until Sunday. If I can get the next part out before that I totally will. Please continue to read my stuff and review it! Thanks!~~~**


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